CINEMA REBORN - David Noakes and Rose Murray to present HOW THE WEST WAS LOST

Cinema Reborn 2025 will feature a number of restored Australian documentaries each of them presented by the film-makers or by people closely associated with the film and it’s restoration. HOW THE WEST WAS LOST is one of those films. It was made in 1987 a collaborative film Directed and Co-Produced by David Noakes and in iits day screened theatrically across Australia, at festivals around the world and included a sale to Channel 4, in the UK, and eventually screened on the ABC but only in a cut down form.  David has now supervised the restoration of this important film along with film restoration expert, Ray Argall, and the new version will be introduced by David at its Sydney and Melbourne Premiere at Cinema Reborn 2025. The film screens at Cinema Reborn in Sydney on Tuesday 6 May and in Melbourne on Friday 8 May.   Accompanying David in the presentation of the film will be Rose Murray. Rose is a Nyangumarta woman whose family were part of the 1946 Pilbara Strike. Growing up in Melbourne, Rose became active in Koori community politics. In 1978 Rose returned her stolen generation Mum back to her family. Rose has had a wide career in health, research, art and community development.   Rose’s thoughts on the film and its place in history are now published as a program note on the Cinema Reborn website. Here is a part of her text. “This is a loved and valued film. We have always encouraged newcomers to the Pilbara to track it down. Having the strikers tell the story in their own way may not happen again. We’ve shown the film at a couple of big venues with David’s permission and it’s been just lovely. Pilbara  mob have gotten up and told the story of their family being on strike. It’s really powerful. Perth people always say, ‘How come we weren’t told?’ ”I’m part of a group helping to share the story of the 1946 Strike in WA schools this year. The Strike and the How the West was Lost film will become better known in schools. I’m going to go to Cinema Reborn and support the Marrngu and other film makers who made it happen. All Australians need to know how important the strike is for today, not just yesterday.”   To read Rose Murray's text click here: David Noakes and Rose Murray are available for interview and a screener copy of the film can be made available for those interested in the film and the people who made it and are now re-presenting it. THE STORY On 1 May 1946, 800 Aboriginal station workers walked off sheep stations in the north-west of Western Australia, marking the beginning of a carefully organised strike that was to last for at least three years, but never officially ended.   The strike was more than a demand for better wages and conditions. It was, in the words of Keith Connolly in the Melbourne Herald, 'a well-considered statement by a grievously exploited people, standing up for their rights and dignity'.   How The West Was Lost tells the story of a shameful yet still largely unknown piece of Australia’s tangled history…   Session times and links  to bookings Click Here